Book picks similar to
The Winds of March by Lenora Mattingly Weber
young-adult
children-s
fiction
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The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet
Erin Dionne - 2009
But with Shakespearean scholar parents who dress in Elizabethan regalia and generally go about in public as if it were the sixteenth century, that’s not terribly easy. It gets worse when they decide that Hamlet’s genius seven year-old sister will attend middle school with her— and even worse when the Shakespeare project is announced and her sister is named the new math tutor. By the time an in-class recitation reveals that our heroine is an extraordinary Shakespearean actress, Hamlet can no longer hide from the fact that she—like her family—is anything but average. In a novel every bit as funny as her debut, Erin Dionne has created another eighth grader whose situation is utterly unique—but whose foibles and farces will resound with every girl currently suffering through middle school.
Princess Nevermore
Dian Curtis Regan - 1995
At 15, she's still allowed to come and go as she wishes in the kingdom of Mandria, visiting Melikar the wizard and playing at magic. But she knows that as soon as she turns 16, she will become a woman. A parade of suitors will court her until she chooses one--or the king chooses one for her--then comes marriage, childbearing, and royal protocol. But Quinn isn't ready for this life of predictability. More than anything, she wants to travel to "outer earth," the world above the wishing pool. When a magical mishap sends her to Earth, Quinn gets far more than she bargained for. As she is drawn deeper into this strange new world of skateboards, Halloween dances, and pizza, danger and adolescent intrigue surround her. There's only one problem: she doesn't know how to return to Mandria, and she's not even sure she wants to!
Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets
Evan Roskos - 2013
Always positive. I need to be more positive, so I wake myself up every morning with a song of myself.”Sixteen-year-old James Whitman has been yawping (à la Whitman) at his abusive father ever since he kicked his beloved older sister, Jorie, out of the house. James’s painful struggle with anxiety and depression—along with his ongoing quest to understand what led to his self-destructive sister’s exile—make for a heart-rending read, but his wild, exuberant Whitmanization of the world and keen sense of humor keep this emotionally charged debut novel buoyant.
Angel Cake
Cathy Cassidy - 2009
But as she sits in a school where nobody understands her, she dreams of Polish summer skies and the place where she once belonged. Then Anya meets bad boy Dan. He's no angel but she's sure there's a sweeter side to him.
Glory Be
Augusta Scattergood - 2012
Jesslyn, her sister and former confidante, no longer has the time of day for her now that she’ll be entering high school. Then there’s her best friend, Frankie. Things have always been so easy with Frankie, and now suddenly they aren’t. Maybe it’s the new girl from the North that’s got everyone out of sorts. Or maybe it’s the debate about whether or not the town should keep the segregated public pool open.Augusta Scattergood has drawn on real-life events to create a memorable novel about family, friendship, and choices that aren’t always easy.
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
Joan Aiken - 1962
Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. The servants are dismissed, the furniture is sold, and Bonnie and Sylvia are sent to a prison-like orphan school. It seems as if the endless hours of drudgery will never cease.With the help of Simon the gooseboy and his flock, they escape. But how will they ever get Willoughby Chase free from the clutches of the evil Miss Slighcarp?
The Thief Lord
Cornelia Funke - 2000
On their trail is a bungling detective, obsessed with disguises and the health of his pet tortoises. But a greater threat to the boys' new-found freedom is something from a forgotten past – a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.
Understood Betsy
Dorothy Canfield Fisher - 1916
When the year is up and Aunt Frances comes to get her niece, she finds a healthier, prouder girl with a new name--Betsy--and a new outlook on life.Understood Betsy has delighted generations of young readers since it was first published by Henry Holt and Company in 1917.
Both Sides of Time
Caroline B. Cooney - 1995
What if, no matter which direction you travel in time, you must abandon someone you love?Meet 15-year-old Annie Lockwood, a romantic living in the wrong century. When she travels back a hundred years and lands in 1895--a time when privileged young ladies wear magnificent gowns, attend elegant parties, and are courted by handsome gentlemen--Annie at last finds romance. But she is a trespasser in time. Will she choose to stay in the past? Will she be allowed to?
Of Two Minds
Carol Matas - 1995
Trapped in a strange land and stripped of their powers (Coren had been able to read the thoughts not only of humans, but also of animals and objects), the two must work together to overthrow the tyrannical Hevak, restore harmony to the country, and return home safely.
Looking After Lily
Cindy Bonner - 1994
Only twenty years old himself, he's been charged with the welfare of Lily, a sixteen-year-old mother-to-be and wife of his outlaw brother. But Lily keeps coming up with what Haywood needs. A horse. A gun. Money. Common sense. And before long Haywood recognizes that he has fallen in love with his brother's wife. "Good stuff . . . an intelligent, humane story about a guy with too much energy and too little sense. It rates an A."--Entertainment Weekly.
The Legend of Holly Claus
Brittney Ryan - 2004
Holly's heart is frozen, and she must face her enemy, free her self, and save her father's kingdom.
Dragon's Milk
Susan Fletcher - 1989
You must leave tonight."Before she even hears the words, Kaeldra already knows what she must do. She must search out the mother dragon whose draclings have just hatched and somehow get some of her precious milk. It's the only way to save her foster-sister's life. Kaeldra would rather not go. It's much too terrifying, much too dangerous. But Kaeldra knows that she's the only one who can do it. For she is the only one who can actually communicate with dragons.But little does Kaeldra know what she's getting into. She's about to begin a journey that will entwine her fate with that of three little draclings and one would-be dragonslayer. A journey that will become a struggle for life.
Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging
Louise Rennison - 1999
I have one of those under-the-skin spots that will never come to a head but lurk in a red way for the next two years.2. It is on my nose3. I have a three-year-old sister who may have peed somewhere in my room.4. In fourteen days the summer hols will be over and then it will be back to Stalag 14 and Oberfuhrer Frau Simpson and her bunch of sadistic teachers.5. I am very ugly and need to go into an ugly home.6. I went to a party dressed as a stuffed olive.In this wildly funny journal of a year in the life of Georgia Nicolson, British author Louise Rennison has perfectly captured the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager. In the spirit of Bridget Jones's Diary, this fresh, irreverent, and simply hilarious book will leave you laughing out loud. As Georgia would say, it's "Fabbity fab fab!"
Out of the Easy
Ruta Sepetys - 2013
Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny.